Religious Beliefs
by Ninja Basket
Summary: Matt never has and never will consider himself to be religious. What happened was a mere stroke of luck.


_Okay, this is deserving of a hefty Authors Note, huh?_

_When I wrote this, I was at Catholic Camp (don't ask.) It was the best of many, many crackish ideas, so this is what I churned out. Hopefully, this is the only religious fanfiction I will ever write. EVER._

_Sorry if the if has too much of the religious themes in it. Please tell me if you think I should have toned it down._

_Thanks a bunch!_

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-Religious Beliefs-

"_Love is Patient; Love is Kind; Love is not envious, or boastful, or arrogant or rude ...It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." _

_~1 Corinthians 13:4_

Matt has never considered himself to Catholic or religious at all, for that matter.

He remembers his mom being Jewish, but that wasn't really the spiritual kind, it was more of heritage, in which Matt thinks she should've said she was 'Hebrew'.

It must've been interesting to see him around Mello all the time. _Mello_, the one who prayed every night before bed. _Mello_, the one who wore a rosary around his neck at all times. And _Mello_, who went out of his way to not use the Lord's name in vain, even when he came in second. Again.

And then there was Matt who made jokes and blasphemous comments during chapel at Wammy's. He swore like a sailor as part of a daily routine. He was eventually forced by Roger to learn all of the parts of the Mass and what to do to acknowledge them. Even after months of learning, Matt still had to watch Mello to know what to do next.

Sure, Matt went to church on Sundays, but only after he was pulled violently out of bed by Mello at an ungodly hour of the morning for the occasion. While Mello sat, knelt, and prayed, Matt couldn't help but laugh to himself. To him, the whole Bible, with all its Gospels, Homilies, and miracles, were just something that a bored all man wrote in his free time.

-

L had recently died, so Matt had to listen to Mello bitch about an unfair God. Matt thinks it's funny that even after his _parents_ died, his _home_ was destroyed, and he was sent to live at an orphanage where he was always second best, that just _now_ Mello realizes that God is unfair.

The night Mello left, Matt can't say he felt too religious. Simple kisses turning into something more. That night, Mello made sure that Matt knew the same pain he had when L died. Mello stormed out of the gates that night leaving Matt with nothing. Matt now knew how Mello felt on that certain November night. It was a gut-deep feeling of abandonment, like being deprived of happy moment and memory in your body. Matt thought he knew about the judgment of an unfair God, but Matt couldn't fathom this kind of cruelty from someone who was supposed to be all-loving.

Another thing Matt learnt about it was that the feeling doesn't go away. And it had a name, too: Depression.

After a month of noticeable sulking, he was pulled aside after mass by the priest. He had told Matt to try look to God for the answer. Matt laughed that one off and kept thinking to himself about what 'a load of crap' that whole thing had been.

For his fifteenth birthday, Matt was presented with a bible and told to, "just give it a chance." He read less than five pages before deeming it as 'a _real_ load crap.' After that, the book was sentenced was to a lifetime on Matt's shelf of books that were never read again, never even touched save to place them on the shelf.

-

It's a humid afternoon in Matt's grimy old apartment. He sits on his misshapen couch and looks at the ceiling, absolutely bored to tears.

He had forgotten to pay that month's electricity bill. November was a downright crappy month. Matt had gone down to the City Hall to pay it late, but even after that the lady behind the desk had told him that it might be a few hours before his heater or lights came on again.

Matt looks longingly down at his forlorn Nintendo 64. He can't play, it needs an electrical outlet to plug into and his handheld had run out of batteries hours ago. He shifts his glance to his small bookcase in the middle of his hallway. He hadn't read anything besides the newspaper in ages.

Warily, Matt fingers around the floor for a minute or two until he finds the small candle he had placed down next to the couch. He picks it up and gingerly makes his way to the bookcase. When he manages to cross the ten feet without tripping and setting the apartment on fire, he crouches down, balances the candle on his thigh, and begins to look through his "collection."

He casts aside numerous horror stories and a few mystery novels before a certain book catches his goggle-defended eyes. He picks it up and blows off some built-up dust on the cover, revealing the title.

"Holy Bible." He mutters to no one in particular. He can't remember when he got it or when the last time he read it was-if he had ever read it at all. His fingers immediately start to trace the golden letters on the top of the book. He decides it's the best and worst thing he has to offer himself at the moment, so he collects the book and candle and moves over to his cramped little kitchen and sits down at his cluttered table.

-

It's a half hour later when his lights and heater comes on again. The minute Matt notices, he carelessly flops the book closed and runs to the television. Matt didn't bother to remember where he left off.

-

He's channel surfing when Matt receives Mello's distress call after blowing himself up. Couldn't have Mello shot a spotlight into the sky, sending the words 'Super Matt' into the night? Guess not. The ominous cloud of smoke billowing out form a building downtown would have to do.

For a minute, Matt seriously considers not going. He considers giving Mello the same feeling of abandonment he had left Matt with. But, something told him to go: the bible falling from Matt's kitchen table. Or maybe it was that he was really beginning to feel lonely (Pokémon can only amuse you for so long!) And the feeling of loneliness sort of outweighs revenge.

"Sheesh. I'm going!" he calls to the Bible on the linoleum. "Keep your book cover on!" he laughs at his joke for less than a second before slamming the door shut to go rescue his best friend.

Finding Mello had been relatively easy. He was the only one there – and quite possibly the only one in the world – who was trying to pick himself up after having a good half of his body charbroiled. Hell, he was the luckiest person in the world to live through the _night_.

After sleeping for seventy-two hours or so, Mello finally opens his eyes. The only metaphor Matt could think of was the Easter Vigil: after hours of darkness, the Paschal candle is lit, and his life is saved. Matt thinks it works pretty well considering the circumstances.

Mello was conscious long enough to let Matt tell him what happened, and before Mello drifts to sleep again, he shifts positions to lay on his back, smiles and utters, "What a miracle." He falls asleep almost immediately. Matt laughs as he leaves the room.

Matt never _has_ and never _will_ consider himself to be religious. What happened that night was a mere stroke of luck. Maybe.

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